Warning: The first three paragraphs of this editorial will probably put you to sleep!

Hepburn Shire Council has seven councillors elected every four years by the community to represent them on local public issues. They represent five wards. Birch and Creswick wards each have two councillors while Cameron, Coliban and Holcombe wards each have one councillor.

That was until the Minister for Local Government announced a new electoral structure for Hepburn Shire. The extensive report, found down the back of the Google where the elephants go to die, reveals a panel held an online public hearing for those wishing to speak about their response submission at 10am on Wednesday, April 26, last year.

Now, maybe I didn’t want to get involved or maybe I like to keep things the way they are, with an ‘if it ain’t broke’ kind of attitude, but for whatever reason it slipped my radar, unlike the Hepburn Shire locals who had their say, including the 19 preliminary submitters.

And then there were the 34 response submitters and don’t forget the three people who spoke at the public hearing. Follow the QR code below and checkout the riveting argy-bargy on page 24 of the document.

(But this is what I love about our region, we punch above our weight in folks trying for continuous improvement. To this matter I must admit I was asleep at the wheel while true public sentiment helped to shape our future.)

Now my nap at the helm is because it is boring, and after many punches in the gut I feel powerless, which makes me no longer give a good God damn. I do appreciate the folks who have taken an interest in the situation, as it has relieved me of my civic duty in doing the same.

But honestly, will it ensure my bloody bin gets picked up on schedule so I don’t have to take my rubbish and recyclables to the tip every other bin day? Or will it help fund the constant wheel balances from the potholes, or my skyrocketing rates bill?

I think not and at the end of the day I believe the council is there to provide the municipal services of roads, rates and rubbish. The councillors roles are to air out their respective community’s interests, and draw the attention of the council to those interests as a body through a democratic vote.

In plain speak it’s just meant to be a few well-meaning folks spotlighting community issues for the council to attend to and those folks get a little bit of coin for their troubles. A very little bit.

A big reason for my fogginess and not giving a toss attitude when it comes to HSC matters is that I can’t get past the last few years of financial blunders.

We must have some hideous sized holes in the books from things like the Daylesford Rex débâcle and now the rehoming of HSC staff to God knows where for 18 months or more so the town hall can be tidied up and maybe turned into a hub. And this was what The Rex project was meant to be in the first place.

There doesn’t seem to be any accountability because the faces have changed, people have moved on and the memory of the community gets dulled by time. My noodle scratching and propensity to run into the streets in my underwear and yell “I give up” goes even deeper.

After almost two and a half years I have managed to secure a planning permit to lop off a bit of land.

The property in question is a flat piece of land with zero substantial overlays in a township zone and the tiny subdivision was given the green light ages ago by Goulburn Murry Water. No wonder I have given up.

Just do the job rant over…

The Daylesford Town Hall will close for essential electrical and roofing works for at least 18 months from September, the Hepburn Shire Council has announced this afternoon. 

Priority works to protect the significant heritage building include extensive repairs to the roof, parapets and chimneys, with electrical upgrades to commence once the roof is replaced. 

Hepburn CEO Bradley Thomas says $1 million has been allocated toward the project in this year’s budget, with $200,000 also allocated for further planning, with the “best estimate” of the overall cost of the project to this point is $1.5 million.

Holding a media conference earlier today to announce the works and temporary closure, the council says it will work with regular users of the building to help identify alternative venues while it is closed.

Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, says the council will concurrently assess the feasibility of maximising future use of the significant building.

“We are investigating options to consolidate and upgrade the town hall so it could act as a community hub, similar to what we have in Creswick, Clunes and Trentham,” Cr Hood said.

“This would include whether Daylesford Town Hall could be refurbished to include a library along with multi-purpose community spaces to cater for meetings, functions, performances and events,” he said.

When the council cancelled the Hepburn Hub at The Rex project in November 2021, it resolved to identify possible solutions for staffing accommodation and community facilities for Birch Ward.

The possible relocation of the town’s library and upgrade to the Town Hall space is now being identified by the council as a means to help to achieve those objectives.

Community consultation had highlighted the community’s strong connection to the Daylesford Town Hall.

“There are many steps required before this kind of project would proceed. In order to assess the feasibility of the project we need to obtain architectural advice on the suitability of the site, receive community input and consider feasibility and concept designs,” said Cr Hood.

“Progression of the project will be dependent on securing external funding. A rejuvenated town hall could deliver fit-for-purpose, modern community facilities that maximise the use of this important community building and meet the needs of the community,” he said.

The council will establish a Project Advisory Group (PAG) of eight members in coming months to guide discussions on how the proposal would best meet the community’s needs.

“We will invite expressions of interest for this PAG in April. I encourage anyone interested in community facilities in Daylesford, Hepburn and Hepburn Springs to put up their hand,” Cr Hood said.

“A PAG has been very effective in the development of The Mechanics Trentham, a council building that is almost complete, which encompasses a new library, kitchen and community spaces,” he said.

Should the town hall project progress beyond the upgrades that have already been identified as required, the council will look to seek additional funding from state and federal governments. In the meantime it has established an online page on its Participate Hepburn site to enable members of the community to engage and find out more.

The roofing and electrical works at Daylesford Town Hall have been identified as necessary to preserve the structural integrity and modernise the ageing electrical system.

The works have been deemed necessary regardless of any changes to the building’s future use.

While the works are underway, the council chambers and council staff who work in the town hall will relocate to leased premises at 24 Vincent Street.

Creswick’s Neville Cartledge OAM and Pat Tacey have shared the top honour and jointly been named Hepburn Shire Citizen of the Year.

Alice Newitt was named Young Person of the Year, with a special commendation to the youth band, Elysium, while ChillOut Festival took out Event of the Year.

Mr Cartledge has long been a contributor to the Creswick community. He began raising funds for the Creswick Hospital in 1953, and joined the Creswick Hospital Board in 1970. In 1983 he became a foundation board member of the John Curtin Memorial Hostel Committee.

He has made an enormous contribution to scouting in the district over his 70 years of service, during which time he trained 33 Queen Scouts, an extraordinary number from one scout group, and is also a Scout Life Member for Victoria.

He has also been a member of the CFA since he was 17, last year marking 68 years of service.

Mr Tacey has also made an incredible contribution to the Creswick community. His experience as an educator and leader has come to the fore in his work leading community resilience and disaster recovery efforts in Creswick, as well as fundraising for Creswick residents in need, distributing essential resources and supporting mental health programs in Hepburn Shire.

Mr Tacey works collaboratively with groups and organisations and is described as always having the community at heart.

Ms Newitt is an active volunteer with the Clunes Football Netball Club, Clunes Booktown Festival, Hepburn Shire Youth Forum and as a dance leader for young people through Clunes Neighbourhood House.

ChillOut Festival took out the Event of the Year award, an event that brought more than 30,000 people to the shire last year. ChillOut is an incredibly successful, fun and colourful event which has grown to become Australia’s largest queer country pride festival since its inception in 1997.

Others nominated for Citizen of the Year were Michelle Clifford, Wendy McKillop, Trish McMahon, Jenni Sewell and Margaret Orr.

Other Event of the Year nominees were Calembeen Parkrun Launch, CresFest 2023, Spud Hut Tours during Spudfest and Creswick NAIDOC Week Celebrations.

The council will create a new category for the 2025 awards. This will be the Hepburn Together Award, which will recognise and celebrate the contribution of community groups and organisations. Nominations for the 2025 Community Awards will open later this year.

Words & image: Contributed

The Hepburn Shire Council will introduce a weekly kerbside collection of food and garden organics for township residents this year, in a bid to help divert thousands of tonnes of organic material from landfill.

The roll-out of this service is part of the council’s sustainable Hepburn strategy and the kerbside collection for townships will include: 

• Lime green-lidded food and garden organics bins – collected weekly 
• Red-lidded landfill (general rubbish) bins – collected fortnightly 
• Yellow-lidded recycling – collected fortnightly (no change). 

As of May 2023, almost half of Australia’s councils offered a food and garden organics service, including Macedon Ranges Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Melton City Council, Central Goldfields, Campaspe, Southern Grampians and more. 

The state government requires all Victorian Councils to introduce a food and garden organics service by 2030. 

The Hepburn shire’s new waste collection regime is expected to make a big impact to reduce waste to landfill.

More than half of the material currently placed in the red-lidded general waste landfill bin is understood to be food waste that would be suitable for the new lime green-lidded bin.

Reducing waste to landfill is forecast to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise future waste costs associated with using landfill.

The council is creating short videos to explain the new food and garden organics kerbside collection with township residents to receive a lime-green lidded bin and kitchen caddy this year. 

Encouraged by the success of its first ever circular economy breakfast, the Hepburn Shire Council is now inviting more locals to make sure they’re part of the next.

In its last sustainable Hepburn newsletter for 2023, the council reported that it had been “thrilled to see a great turnout in Creswick for the Circular Economy Business Breakfast in November”.

Businesses across construction, fashion, design, education, and engineering heard from the council’s Circular Economy Officer, Jodi Newcombe, on the soon-to-be-released Circular Hepburn Toolkit for Businesses.

Attendees also participated in a mini workshop with the circularity deck and saw a demonstration of Taylor Hay’s plastic injection moulding machine.   

Councillor Don Henderson and Tim Drylie opened and closed the event, which was the first in the series fostering a local circular economy community of practice.

Business and Tourism Creswick and the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre partnered with the council in hosting the inaugural event.    

The council is now inviting residents to sign up for its circular economy newsletter to make sure they’re notified of the next such event. 

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting local residents to participate in an upcoming Nature Stewards course.

Nature Stewards is a short educational course which aims to foster a connection with nature and provide ways to get active for the environment.  

In autumn 2024, the council will co-host the Nature Stewards program in partnership with the Mitchell and Macedon Ranges Shires and the Victorian National Parks Association.  

The ten-week program will allow people to discover more about their local environment, connect them with others in their community, and help them learn how to volunteer for nature as a citizen scientist, advocate for nature or a nature guide.  

More information about how to participate is currently available via the council’s website.

Last financial year saw a further 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Hepburn Shire Council operations, and good progress on community-wide emissions, the council has reported in the latest edition of its Sustainable Hepburn newsletter.

The council’s Sustainable Hepburn newsletter, final edition for 2023 reported: “Here in Hepburn Shire, we are continuing to make big strides on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as a host of interrelated sustainability and circular initiatives through our Sustainable Hepburn and Hepburn Z-NET strategies, and the community-council partnerships that help us drive climate action together across the Shire.”

The newsletter also reported: “The latest global climate summit COP28 saw solid progress on the road to eliminating fossil fuel use globally, giving us a chance of limiting global heating to less than 1.5 degrees celsius. Catch up on all of the details from the COP28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates online.”

The Hepburn Shire Council has awarded several major contracts at its December meeting held last week.  

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said the works are a significant investment in local infrastructure and services for the benefit of the community. 

“We made decisions last night committing funds to improve the Central Springs Reserve, road infrastructure in Campbelltown and to continue our ongoing contract for kerbside bin collection, including our planned 2024 food and garden organics roll out,” said Cr Hood. 

Naturform Pty Ltd was awarded a $878,158 contract for stage one of construction works at Central Springs Reserve as part of a $1.47 million dollar project.

The work will aim to improve the picnic and shelter area, connect the new mineral spring bore to a redesigned pump area and include landscaping.

The project is being part-funded by the Australian Federal Government, with $350,000 towards to the project.  

“A masterplan for the Central Springs Reserve was adopted by council in September, this work delivers on stage one of that plan,” mayor Cr Brian Hood said.

“This picturesque area is a popular destination and these works will further improve functionality and appeal.

“The remaining elements of the masterplan will be delivered in future stages, as funding allows,” he said. 

Berne Fleming Civil Pty Ltd was awarded a $363,749 contract for the reconstruction of a portion of Smeaton Road in Campbelltown.   

“After some damage from storms, Smeaton Road was identified as a priority project for this financial year.  The road reconstruction will include rebuilding or upgrading approximately 700 metres of the road,” said Cr Hood.   

Veolia Recycling and Recovery Pty Ltd was awarded a contract extension for the delivery of kerbside services to townships, including the supply and cartage of our kerbside bins.  

“We are pleased to have locked in this contract which will ensure the continuity of an essential service for our community,” said Cr Hood.  

“In 2024, we will start weekly kerbside collections of food and garden organics for township residents. This will divert tonnes of material that would have been destined for landfill,” he said. 

“The food and organics will be collected and transported to Creswick Transfer Station where it will be transformed into compost to be used locally to improve gardens, soil and farmland.

“This will considerably reduce greenhouse gas emissions and comply with the requirements of the state government to separate food and garden organics from landfill.” 

The Hepburn Shire Council has adopted new policies governing the way it manages leases, licences and the disposal and acquisition of land. 

The council adopted the Leases and Licences Policy and Disposal and Acquisition of Land Policy in recent days, at its last scheduled meeting for 2023

The Leases and Licences Policy applies to leases and licences for all council property assets.

This includes land and facilities on crown and freehold land, occupied by community groups, not-for-profit organisations, private individuals and commercial entities.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said the council manages an extensive property portfolio and it is important to do so in a responsible and transparent way. 

“Council owned and managed land is a valuable community asset. It’s essential that we manage it carefully to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits to our community,” said Cr Hood.  

“At the core of both policies is the intention to maximise the community benefit and public value from the management of council’s property portfolio with a consistent, equitable and transparent approach to decision-making,” he said. 

Both policies have been designed to exceed minimum standards of the Local Government Act and take into account recommendations from past audits and reviews.  

“The Leases and Licences Policy governs our approach when considering, negotiating and finalising all occupancy agreements for the use of public land.” 

“The policy ensures that the use of council owned or managed land is formalised through binding agreements,” he said. 

The Disposal and Acquisition of Land Policy provides a framework to guide decision making in relation to the sale and acquisition of land and applies to all council freehold land or land vested in council.  

“Council may buy or sell property in response to community or organisational needs. From time-to-time we may sell surplus land or strategically acquire additional properties,” Cr Hood said.

“The policy outlines council’s principles and is intended as a framework to assist us in making these important decisions,” said Cr Hood. The policy also sets out mandatory processes for council to follow. 

The policies are available on the council’s website.

The Hepburn Shire Council has launched a new event toolkit to help local event organisers plan and carry out events successfully.

Available via the council’s website, the toolkit caters for events of all sizes and all types and will be updated as information changes.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said whether the event was big or small, the Event Toolkit was a one-stop-shop for event organisers.

“Events are an important drawcard for community and visitors in our shire and a driver in our local economy. The toolkit features information on event planning, risk management, sponsorship, grants, coordinating volunteers and staff, how to run committee meetings and post-event reviews and surveys,” said Cr Hood.

“It aims to make it easy to access everything organisers need when planning an event in our Shire,” he said.

The development of the toolkit delivers on two aspects in Council’s Event Strategy 2020-2025; to build the capacity of the event industry and to enhance and measure the value and impacts on events.

“The toolkit provides event organisers with the resources, templates and tools to run events that are successful, sustainable and compliant,” said Cr Hood.

It’s time to see if your swimmers still slip on as public pools throughout the Hepburn Shire area prepare to open for the new summer season.

Pool entry is free to all and the aquatics season for public outdoor pools throughout the Hepburn Shire is scheduled to kick off from Saturday December 2.

The local council says it will update its website daily with updates on hours of operation at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/pools.

It’s als reminding residents that under its weather policy the poosl will be closed on cooler days.

Hepburn Shire Councillors have returned Cr Brian Hood as Mayor and elected Cr Juliet Simpson as Deputy Mayor.

Following the decision last week Cr Brian Hood thanked his fellow councillors for the opportunity to again lead the council in the final year of this term.

“I am honoured to have been re-elected as mayor of Hepburn Shire,” he said. “Council has achieved much in the past year. As we enter the final year of our term there are significant and fundamental challenges before us as an organisation – including the extensive and ongoing program of road repair works and the pressing need for long term financial and strategic planning. 

“I look forward to working with my councillor colleagues, the CEO and his executive team as we embrace those challenges on behalf of the community,” he said.

Cr Brian Hood was elected to the Coliban Ward in October 2020.  He has held a number of senior management positions across public and private sector organisations, mostly as a Chief Finance Officer. He is a company director and chair of the company that operates the Trentham & District Community Bank.  Cr Hood was an AFL level umpire and secretary of the AFL Umpires Association and is a life member of that organisation.

Cr Brian Hood acknowledged the contribution of former Deputy Mayor Lesley Hewitt.

“Cr Lesley Hewitt was a great support to me in my pervious term as Mayor. Her professionalism and dedication to our community is evident and much appreciated,” said Cr Hood.

“Congratulations to Cr Juliet Simpson on her election to the role of deputy mayor. I look forward to working closely with her,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Cr Juliet Simpson was elected to represent the Holcombe Ward in October 2020.

Council Chief Executive Officer Bradley Thomas extended his congratulations to Crs Hood and Simpson.

“Cr Hood has shown strong leadership throughout the Council term and has provided ongoing support for staff,” said Council Chief Executive Officer Bradley Thomas.

“We have a lot to achieve in the coming year to deliver the final actions of the Council Plan 2021-25. It is a challenging environment for local government, but we look forward to working closely with Councillors in a positive way for the community,” said Mr Thomas.

“I congratulate Cr Simpson on her endorsement as Deputy Mayor and thank Cr Lesley Hewitt for her contribution in the role over the last 12 months.  With Cr Hood and Cr Simpson in these roles, the community can be confident of continued transparency and good governance,” he said. 

An alternative greenfield site to host community sport and active recreation is being considered for Clunes.

To investigate this option further the Hepburn Shire Council is inviting community members to apply to join a Clunes Recreation Provision Feasibility Project Advisory Group (PAG).

In a recent media release, the Hepburn Shire Council says: “During the development of the draft masterplan for the Clunes Recreation Reserve, community interest has evolved to consider an alternative option in servicing the future provision of sport and active recreation at an alternative greenfield site in Clunes”. 

The PAG would work with the council to provide input into the development of the working draft Clunes Recreation Reserve Masterplan and determine how quality infrastructure could be provided that promotes community connection and active participation in Clunes. 

Expressions of interest to join the PAG are open until 5pm on Wednesday 13 September 2023 and can be made via Council’s Participate Hepburn website. 

Community pop-in session 

The local council will also hold a pop-in session in Clunes for the community to discuss the PAG with its Sport and Active Recreation Team.

The session will be held this Saturday September 9 with people able to drop in anytime between 10am and 12pm at the Ulumbarra Room at The Warehouse – Clunes.  

The Hepburn Shire Council is offering shire residents subsidised compost bins to help them reduce waste to landfill by turning food scraps and garden waste into compost.

The subsidised composters have become available from the shire’s local transfer stations from Friday 1 September.

But locals keen to secure one had better be quick as the council has advised that there are limited numbers available. Those intending to get one need to bring proof of residency.

Transfer station vouchers for 2023/24 are also available for collection from the Hepburn Shire Council’s Transfer Stations and Customer Service Centres. Residents are eligible for vouchers if they have a fortnightly landfill (general waste) collection or do not have a kerbside collection. 

Proof of address is required with vouchers for the 2022/23 year able to be collected and used until 30 September 2023.

Aggressive behaviour towards Hepburn Shire Council staff is on the increase and reaching unprecedented levels.
CEO Bradley Thomas said that several recent incidents had highlighted the lack of respect shown towards council staff.
“While the vast majority of our community are respectful and behave appropriately, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of incidents of occupational violence occurring towards our staff.
“Staff are regularly feeling intimidated after being approached in the street or in other public places, like the supermarket, and verbally abused, sometimes shouted or sworn at.
“We acknowledge that we don’t always get things right and sometimes mistakes are made, but that does not excuse poor behaviour towards staff. If we get things wrong, let us know in a respectful way through the many mechanisms available and we’ll do what we can to put things right.”
Mayor Cr Brian Hood said council staff, and councillors, were entitled to have a safe workplace.
“Verbal abuse and threatening behaviour is simply not acceptable, and that includes cowardly online abuse. Council has well-established complaint handling procedures, so if community members have a complaint, they must raise it through the appropriate channels.
“Council will do everything within its powers to protect its staff and councillors. We will not tolerate aggressive, abusive or threatening behaviour.”